I’m sure you’ve seen the viral video that a woman in Astoria, Queens took last month. A few days earlier, the apartment’s tenant had noticed a crack in her ceiling and notified the manager. Someone from the management company checked it out and said they would be back to fix it in a few days. Just days later, the tenant was moving furniture out from under the ceiling in anticipation of the repairman, when she heard cracking noises above her head. Wisely, she ran out of the room and pulled out her phone, just in time to record a large chunk of the ceiling collapsing where she’d been standing just seconds before. If you watch the video, you can see that the woman would have been seriously injured had she not run out of the room.
Ceiling collapses are not unheard of in New York City, in fact, several happen every year. You can chalk it up to older buildings, poor construction work, defective materials, and building owners who are trying to save a buck. But building owners and managers have a duty of care to provide a reasonably safe environment for anyone who lawfully enters their premises. Failure to do so can result in a lawsuit.Earlier this year, attorneys at Wingate, Russotti, Shapiro, Moses & Halperin, LLP represented a single mother who suffered severe back and neck injuries when her ceiling fell on top of her. The woman received a substantial settlement and is now recovering from her injuries.
If you or a family member has been injured in a New York ceiling collapse, you deserve compensation for your injuries and losses. To get a settlement worthy of you and your family’s suffering, you’ll need an experienced attorney on your team. Call Wingate, Russotti, Shapiro, Moses & Halperin, LLP today, at (212) 986-7353 to schedule a free consultation.